Customer Reviews

How To Draw Manga Volume 22: Bishoujo Around The World (How to Draw Manga)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First of all, I just want to say that it is my goal to own every single one of the "How to Draw Manga" series. Overall, the series gives a very unique look on techniques used by manga artists, while allowing a small peek into the industry itself.

When I first saw this book I was extremely excited, not to mention impressed. This is the first art book that I've ever seen that concentrates on the differences and similarities between women of different ethnicities. (If there are other books out there that does this, somebody let me know!) First, it divides the women into the three anthropological categories caucasoid, mongoloid, and negroid, and gives the main characters of each type. Then the women are divided by country. The mongoloid, caucasoid, or negroid characteristics are pointed out to the reader, as well as physical traits that are specific to the the woman's country of origin. Now, here's where I get picky...

One reviewer was upset because they showed a woman from her country wearing old-fashioned clothes that her people do not wear any more. Well, duh. (I'm sorry; that was mean.) Most of the bishoujo shown in the book are wearing their country's traditional dress. This is obviously meant to give the reader a small taste of the country's history. Good for them.

What bothered me wasn't the clothes - or, in some cases, lack thereof. (You will see nipples.) What I would like to know is where did the author get her information? Are these images based on anthropological studies? Did the author gather photos or models of different ethnicities and nationalities in order to compile this book? Or were they somehow influenced by stereotypes or by the media? Also, it seemed as though that in some cases the author was trying so hard to make these women look different, that some of the illustrations just came out looking weird.

Does this rambling have a point? Yes! It means use this book as a starting point only; don't take it all for gospel. Most of the pictures are beautiful, and hopefully they will offer great inspiration.

This edition is wonderful to learn how to draw manga characters with a particluar ethnic background. It covers a wide variety of cultures all around the world by how they are dressed, how thier ethnic clothes is put on (in some cases), and how you would draw that specific ethnicity manga-style. Regions covered:

-East Asian (Japan, China, Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia)
-Southern Asian (India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh)
-Oceanian (Papua New Guinea, Micronesia, Australia)
-Northern Europe (Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Finland)
-Southern Europe (Spain, Italy, Portugal)
-Mediterranean (Egypt, Greece)
-Middle Eastern (Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Turkey)
-Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Liberia)
-North America (Canada, United States)
-Central & South America (Mexico, Chile, Brazil, Peru)

Ancient & Prehistoric dresses covered:
-Ancient Greek, Germanic, & Celtic
-Ancient Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Egyption
-Prehistoric Cavewomen
..and a little section on modern punk/rock/heavy metal for some strange reason.

This book is more of a reference guide for traditional garments of women throughout the modern world and ancient world and is for those who do not mind the nudity.

On a side note, I don't know if this is true with all editions but the book I have has 8 blank pages. That's right, blank, as in there is nothing printed in that page. You're better off going to the bookstore and checking the book yourself before buying.

When I got this book I was very excited to look inside. I have been drawing manga/anime since I was eleven (I'm 19 now) and literally had to self teach myself. I learned by staring at pre-existing pictures and drawing from that. And this book is perfect for doing just that(where were these when I was younger!?) This is an amazing book for people who are in this art field and are having trouble expanding their characters outside of the box. I like the fact that they seperate the races and present the differences between each...finally dispells that myth that all anime characters are the same except for the hair. The costuming is amazing...even has directions on how to make certain kinds (ie. ancient greek tunics or "togas!")My particular favorite is the Spanish flamenco dancer and female bullfighter costumes!I also liked the Middle Eastern bishoujos...the Iranian girl is such a good picture. This book is ideal for those who like diversity and expansion as well as those who are familiar with the field and already know the basics!!!! A great How to draw manga and an a requirement for anyone who does draw this genre.

this book is very helpful and shows you how all the body shapes of different girls around the world are different to others also it explains head shape and hair.I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn to draw manga but is at a more advanced level ie they can already draw the basic body shapes and eyes etc.
the whole series of how to draw manga are very good and I seriously recommend them all,you honestly cannot find a better guide to drawing manga.

I think that many people will love this book. It has great advice and tips for those who are not pros, but this book might be a little bit harder for beginners. After you have learned about simple manga and how to draw at a beginner level this book is the next step. This teaches you how different the worlds women of different cultures compare and difer. It can teach the different body forms of the diverse women. It first breaks the women into three races: Caucasioud, Negroid, and Mongoliad. Then it divides them into their location and cultures. It also teaches you about ancient peoples. All the women wear clothes. So, for those who want to know what some cultures wore this might help a bit. Despite the fair amount of artistic nudity this book is very good.

When I saw this book, I simply had to have it! If you are looking for a book that helps you get a good idea of different ethinicities, then this is a book for you! This book teaches you the certain attributes of different race characters on how to correctly draw them, and how to give them their own individuality. As a warning to those who don't like nudity,this book does contain a good bit of nudity, so I don't recommend this book to those of you who are offended by nudity. I think all of the characters are beautifully drawn, Hikaru Hayashi is one of my favorite how to draw artists'. Also in the book, it gives you some descriptions of clothing each race wear, hair types, and skin types. This is a good book for those who would like to draw different races in their manga, (which I do).So if you are a big Hayashi fan, then you will be very pleased with this book!

I first saw this book in passing a few years ago, was very impressed by it's flow and concept. But I was too broke to buy it then, but it made me think. I have since completed an art degree, and put my faith in specific research and reference for a project where the subject of nationality or ethnicity would be crucial. But this text still remains a good starting point for a quick and dirty way to cartoon regional features without going out and doing an anthropological study yourself.
But like I said, this is a good reference for history, exotic costuming and an overview of how to start cartooning ethnic differences.

One of my favorites in the "How to Draw Manga" series, this book is a great starting point for new & exciting ideas.

I love this & How To Draw Manga Volume 12: Giant Robots (v. 12) by Hikaru Hayashi. Both efforts are absolutely jam-packed & crammed with interesting visual information, similar to the more traditional western-style titles by Jack Hamm.

This beautiful, black & white book is *filled* with women & traditional clothing styles from all over the world. It's divided into three main parts: drawing beautiful nude women of different ethnicities (32 pages); drawing stereotypical & cultural attire (52 pages); and then drawing ancient & prehistoric clothing (26 pages).

I like the emphasis on figure drawing in the first part; "Bishoujo" means pretty/ beautiful girls, so the clothing is just meant to emphasize & enhance the women of different ethnicities. Three types of women are depicted: Mongoloid, Caucasoid and Negroid. These are just technical terms. Key differences in the three types of women are consistently detailed. Then it's on to specific countries & regions of the world. A general listing: East, Southeast, and Southern Asian; Oceanian; West, East, North and South European; Mediterranean; Middle Eastern; African; North, Central & South American. I didn't see anything Hebraic or Jewish here. Some of the stereotypes are maybe unintentionally hilarious(?). The New Yorker girl is wearing a Statue of Liberty headband(!). In any case, my favorite section is probably the ancient/ prehistoric one. This part includes: Greeks; Celts; Indians; Chinese; Egyptians; Japanese; Prehistoric; and then for some reason 2-pages on today's modern music scenes (rocker; heavy metal; and punk!). Yes, this book pretty much has it all.

P.S. One reviewer mentioned their copy of the book had 8 blank pages- that's probably a rare thing. My copy had text and/ or pictures on every page.

this was a great learning tool for me and it shows many different period costumes and how they are put together. very good buy for people looking into the female anatomy and period clothing from around the world.

This really helps in seeing the various clothing females wear around the world. They go from Japan to Africa. There's also a section for Prehistoric Bishoujo if you like that. The illustrations are wonderful for they show how each of the races are: Mangolid, Causcoid, and Negroid are illustrated in this book.